Cabin Settee Tops

March 30, 2019

I decided to get away from the fiberglass work for the day, including filling, fairing and sanding, and moved into a bit of woodwork.  After a recent on site conversation with the owner, it was decided that the cabin settee tops could use a bit of a freshening up, or warming up of the cabin.  The existing settees were part of the molded interior (fiberglass), with a top-access hatch on each side as well as two vertically-oriented access hatches on each side.  The top-access hatches were to the aft end of each settee, and at some point they hand underwent some work - it appeared that their apertures were increased in size, and while this was done the molded recessed tabs to prevent the hatch lids from falling through were cut out.  As the top-access hatches currently exist, their hatch lids rest on top of the settee itself, and as a result do not create a pleasing accommodation or aesthetic.  To rectify the situation, it was decided that the settee tops would receive a 1/2" meranti plywood top, with new top-access hatches created where in which their lids would lay flush with the settee top itself.  So, the day's task was to create these settee tops.  Before I broke out into my best Norm Abrams impression, I had to water-wash the last round of fairing compound (thickened epoxy) I applied to the deck, coachroof, and cockpit surfaces.  I scrubbed them with a scotch brite pad and water, then dried the surfaces.  

To begin the settee tops, I went into the shop and ripped several lengths of 1/4" doorskin material (cheap and lightweight panel product perfect for template work).  I quickly sanded the edges to remove burs and tear-outs, and with the hot-glue gun carried them to the boat.

I began on the port side and worked the strips of doorskin along the outboard edge as well as the forward and aft ends in a athwartship orientation, and then hot-glued them together.  

I glued in some strengthening pieces to help hold things together when I eventually removed them from the boat.

I laid the template out onto a fresh piece of 1/2" meranti and transferred it to the plywood.

With a jigsaw, I removed the new settee top.  

It took a few trips up and down the ladder before I dialed things in, and achieved a great fit on the port side.  When I achieved the fit I was intending, I then reached through one of the vertical access hatches and traced the top hatch opening onto the bottom of the new settee top.

After carrying the settee top back down to the work station below the boat, I made several measurements for the new top-access hatch, including the dimensions of the cleats to be secured to the underside.

I removed the new hatch, and then glued and screwed cleats to the underside of the settee top.  The new top access hatches would be slightly smaller in dimension while retaining enough size to accommodate the owner's need for the space.  

I wiped up the glue squeeze out with a damp rag, flipped the settee top over and repeated the clean up.

The test fit of the new top-access hatch was perfect.

I carried the settee top back up into the boat. The cleats easily fell into the old top hatch aperture, providing for a tremendous improvement in appearance. 

The boat is looking saltier by the day!

I repeated the process for the starboard side of the boat: laying up the strips of doorskin, hot-gluing them, and using this template to cut out of the new settee top.

I carried the settee top up into the boat, and had better results with the initial test fit - requiring no further adjustments.  While in-situ, I traced the existing top-access hatch onto the underside of the plywood, carried it back down to the workstation, and cut it out with the jigsaw.

With domestic duties looming, I did not have time today to get to the cleats for the starboard side.  I would get to the cleats tomorrow, as well as gluing the settees in final position and tabbing them to the hull surface.  A fiddle and trim will eventually finish the edges and seams of the new material.

Total Time Today: 4.75 hrs